Arthritis Of The Wrist Treatments

Wrist arthritis comes in different forms, each with its characteristics and causes. 

The main types of wrist arthritis are:

Osteoarthritis (OA): Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and occurs due to the gradual breakdown of the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones in your joints. This leads to pain, swelling, stiffness, and reduced range of motion or movement in your wrist. OA is often associated with aging, wear and tear, previous wrist injuries, or genetic factors.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease where your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the synovium (the lining of the joints), leading to inflammation, pain, and joint damage. RA commonly affects the wrist joints, causing swelling, warmth, stiffness, and deformity. It can also involve other joints and organs throughout your body.

Post-Traumatic Arthritis: Post-traumatic arthritis develops following a wrist injury, such as a fracture, dislocation, or ligament tear. Trauma to the wrist can damage the cartilage and joint structures, leading to inflammation and arthritis over time. Post-traumatic arthritis can cause chronic pain, stiffness, and functional limitations in the wrist.

Psoriatic Arthritis: Psoriatic arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis that can affect people with psoriasis, a chronic skin condition. Psoriatic arthritis can cause inflammation in the joints of the wrist, leading to pain, swelling, stiffness, and reduced range of motion. It may also involve other joints, tissues, skin, and nails.

Gout Arthritis: This type of arthritis is caused by the buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints. Gout attacks can affect the wrist joint, causing sudden and severe pain, swelling, redness, and warmth. Chronic gout can lead to joint damage and deformity if left untreated.

Ankylosing Spondylitis: Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of inflammatory arthritis that primarily affects the spine, but it can also occur in other joints, including your wrists. Inflammation in the wrist joints can cause pain, stiffness, and limited movement. Ankylosing spondylitis is often associated with inflammation of the sacroiliac joints and spine.

Wrist Symptoms

The causes of carpal tunnel syndrome can be anything that irritates your median nerve, like bone fractures or inflammation. In most of our patient cases, carpal tunnel is generally caused by a combination of overuse, repetitive motions, and keeping your hands and wrists in certain positions for prolonged periods of time.

Before recommending treatment, Dr. Pournaras will  conduct an in-depth examination to accurately diagnose your symptoms. He will perform a physical exam and review your medical history. In many cases, he may use additional testing like an X-ray or nerve conduction study.

Once it has been determined that you have carpal tunnel syndrome, 

The goal of these treatments is to relieve any pressure or inflammation that’s irritating the median nerve.

The goal of Carpal tunnel release surgery is to decompress the median nerve by dividing the transverse carpal ligament. There are two main surgical procedures to accomplish this. They are called open carpal tunnel release (OCTR) and endoscopic carpal tunnel release (ECTR).

Open Carpal Tunnel Release (OCTR)

 This is the traditional method – open release, in which Dr. Pournaras will open your wrist directly to do the surgery.

Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release (ECTR)

The other method  Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release, is where a thin, flexible tube that has a camera is put into your wrist through a tiny incision. The camera guides Dr. Pournaras to complete the surgery with thin tools put into the wrist through another small cut.

Surgery is recommended to our patients with severe symptoms such as pain, significant sleep interference, muscle weakness, and if you have not had any relief of your symptoms with at least 6-8 weeks of the non-surgical treatment options.

Carpal Tunnel Surgery has been proven very effective in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. It involves an incision in the palm of your hand and increasing the space for the nerve.This will release the pressure around the nerve, leading to improvement of your symptoms.